November 9, 2024
Dear President Nausèda and Mr. Paluckas,
We are utterly shocked and disappointed that the Social Democrats are set to enter into a coalition with the antisemitic “Dawn of the River Neman.”
The inclusion of a party led by Remegijus Zemaitaitis, who according to Lithuania's Constitutional Court had broken his oath as lawmaker by stirring up hatred against Jews, is incompatible with our common, most basic Western values. It is these Western values that are the foundation for a strong European Union and an enduring transatlantic alliance–particularly in these perilous times of war.
The fact that the Social Democrats had explicitly ruled out such an alliance only compounds what would be a grave political misstep. By breaking that campaign promise, the Social Democrats would help normalize and mainstream some of the ugliest and most vulgar manifestations of antisemitism we have ever witnessed in contemporary Europe. That this would be taking place at a time when Jew-hatred is already dramatically on the rise across the continent makes this only more distressing.
As great friends of Lithuania, we were at the forefront of advocating for the U.S. to recognize the country's independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Later, we testified in Congress for NATO expansion to help secure the freedom of the newly liberated parts of Europe that had re-emerged from decades of Communist tyranny.
It is thus simply unimaginable to us that modern, democratic Lithuania would be led in part by a party whose leader faces criminal charges for inciting ethnic hatred. The fact that Mr. Zemaitaitis may not become minister himself would not make such a coalition any more acceptable.
Together with Lithuania's many friends in the U.S. and the EU, we thus urge you to reconsider and avoid a momentous decision that would strengthen antisemites in your country and beyond and undermine Lithuania's reputation as a beacon of democracy and freedom in the region.
Simone Rodan-Benzaquen
Managing Director, AJC Europe
Agnieszka Markiewicz
Director, AJC Central Europe
Daniel Schwammenthal
Director, AJC Transatlantic Institute
